Firearm



UNITED VSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

FIREARIVI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 28, 1919. `Serial No. 320,494.

T0 all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, OSCAR F. MossBERe, a citizen ofl the United States,and a resident of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State ofConnecticut, have invented a new and Improved Firearm, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a small firearm or pistol, and more particularlyto a firearm in which the barrel with the plural bores is stationary inthe firing operation while the firing pin is revolved and its firingmember, which is off the center of the pin, is caused to contact withthe successive cartridges. lVhile the invention in all of its phases isnot limited to a firearm of the particular type indicated, the inventionlends itself more particularly to that type.

The general object of my invention is to provide a firearm improved invarious particulars to possess certain distinctive features andcharacteristics, among which are the following:

The trigger is arranged to have a sliding movement as distinguished froma pivotal movement, and serves to actuate a pivoted hammer; the barreland elements appurtenant thereto are so arranged on the frame that whenthe firearm is brokem the trigger will swing entirely clear of the frameand out of possible engagement with the hammer so that the hammer cannotbe operated and strain the face plate of the pin housing in the brokencondition of the firearm, and thereby cannot strain or buckle said faceplate; novel latch means is provided for holding the barrel in the ringposition; a novel arrangement of spring means is provided for the hammerand for the trigger to move the hammer to firing position and to returnthe trigger to forward position; and the frame to which the barrel ispivoted and parts appurtenant to said frame, have a novel constructionand arrangement, so designed as to afford accessibility to moving parts,and provide a simple and strong construction promoting convenieiice ofassemblage and repair.

The above and other objects are attained by the novel construction andarrangement of parts hereinafter particularly described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, it being understood that the drawings are merelyillustrative of one example of the invention.

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of the irearm embodying myinvention, showing the trigger in the forward position and the hammer inposition for the firing pin to engage a cartridge;

l Fig. is a similar view showing the parts in position with the hammercocked and about to be released;

Fig. 3 is a plan view ofthe firearm broken;

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the firearm broken;

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section on the line 5-5, Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the hammer; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a pawl for establishing the releasableengagement of the trigger with the hammer.

In carrying out my invention in accordance with the illustrated example,the barrel 10 having bores to receive a plurality of cartridges, andhere shown as having four bores, has rigid therewith a frame 11, at theunder side, in which a slidable trigger 12 has longitudinal movement,said frame having guideways 13 at the top and bottom engaged by thetrigger. The frame 14 of the firearm advantageously has at the sides,wooden stock elements 15 secured to said frame at the lower end byscrews 16, and presenting at the upper ends beveled projections 152,which are accommodated in correspondingly formed undercut recesses 14ain said frame. The frame 11 is pivoted to the frame 141 by a transversepin 17 at the forward side of the frame 14, the pivotal connection withthe frame 11 being through a depending arm 18 formed rigid with saidframe, so that when the firearm is brokem the frame 11 and trigger 12will swing clear of the frame 14, and the trigger be out of possibleengagement with the hammer 19 or1 the firearm, so that the hammer cannotbe operated to cause the firing pin to strain the face plate of thehousing in which the pin has movement in the firing operation, thearrangement making it impossible to operate the hammer and firing pinexcept when the barrel is in position with the breech against the facevplate of the firing pin housing.

The hammer 19 is pivoted at its lower end to the iframe 14 above andadjacent to the pivot 17, the pivot pin 21 of the ham Patented July 27,1920.

mer passing through the forked lower end 2() of the hammer. The head 22of the hammer has a longitudinal pin-hole 23 in which the firing pin 21is turnable and yieldable longitiulinally. The chamber in which the headof the hammer has movement is prefeably closed at the sides by separateplates 25 secured to the trame 1l at the rear end by screws 26, saidplates at the forward end being notched to receive the laterallyextending members 14') of the face plate 11C of said chamber, therebeing a dovetailed engagement between the members l1" and the frontendsof the plates 25. The plates Q5 are detachable by removing the screws 26and sliding the plates rearwardly out of engagement with the framemembers 1lb. A coil spring 2T encircles the firing pin 2l adjacent tothe headed rear end thereof, said spring bearing against the head of thepin and against an opposed internal shoulder 23 in the pin-hole Q3, andserving to create friction between the liring pin and the hammer wherebysaid pin is held in position during the forward stroke of the hammer oruntil the pin is positively turned by the means hereinafter described.

ln the rearward liring movement of the trigger 12, which engages thehammer 19 in a manner hereinafter described, swinging the hammerrearwardly on its pivot pin 21, the tiring pin 2l is given a partialturn by the action of anelongated dog 28 pivoted at its lower end, as atQ9, to the rear portion of the frame 1l, said dog being acted on by aspring 3f), tending to maintain it in the forward position. The upperend of the dog extends freely through an oblique slot 31 in the head 22,the point of the dog engaging in one of an annular series of notches 32formed in the enlarged portion or flange 353 of the firing pin, therebeing notches corresponding in number with the bores of the barrel 10.rfhe dog 28 and the hammer 19 having different pivotal centers, in therearward movement of the hammer 1S). it will vary its angle to the dog28, the latter yielding rearwardly, and, at the same time, by engagementwith a notch 32, give a turning movement to the tiring pin. When thehammer is released, the tiring pin contacts with the rearwardly facingshoulder 11" produced by counterboring of the pin-hole ll@ in the faceplate 1110, and it will be seen that the blow delivered against the faceplate at the shoulder 11d by the enlarged portion or flange 33 of theliring pin, would tend to strain said face plate if the hammer wereoperated when the firearm is cbroken and the breech of the firearmremoved from said face plate. The straining of analogous parts in knownforms of firearms is produced by the trigger being operated, thuscausing the hammer to operate when the gun is brokem whereas with mydescribed construction, the swinging of the frame 11 and trigger 12entirely out of the frame 1st and wholly out of operative relation tothe hammer, prevents the operation of the latter if the trigger beoperated when the gun is broken The engagement between the trigger 12and the hammer 19 is produced by a pivoted dog on the one engaging ashoulder on the other, there being a catch or dog lslin the illustratedexample engaging an opposed shoulder produced by notching the upper edgeof t-he trigger 12. The dog 3-1 is secured by a pivot pin 3G passingthrough a transverse pin-hole 3S in the hammer, said dog beingaccommodated in a recess or pocket 39 in the under side of the head 22,and acted upon by a spring el() coiled about the pin 3G, the ends of thespring bearing, respectively, against the dog 3l and against the upperwall of the pocket 39, as seen in Fig. 1.

The hammer is thrown to the firing position when released by acompression spring Ll1, disposed obliquely in the frame 14, at thebottom, the rear end of said spring being accommodated in a pocket ordepression L12 in the frame 14, while the upper forward end encircles apin or core L13 having a flange against which the spring abuts. Theconcave upper end of the forward portion of the pin L1-3 bears againstthe pin Ll5 extending transversely through holes L16 in the sides of thefork 2l) of the hammer 15), said pin yl5 being so positioned that itwill move through an arc as the hammer 1S) moves rearwardly on its pivot21, thereby placing the spring 41 under tension so that its reactionwill throw the hammer fon wardly upon release of dog 3l from thetrigger.

rlhe trigger 12 is returned to the forward position after rearwardsliding movement for firing by the action of a coil spring et? in alongitudinal pocket d8 extending forwardly from the rear end of thetrigger, said spring abutting at its rear end against the head of a pin#19, about which said spring is coiled, said pin abutting at its rearend against a transverse screw 5() in the frame 11 and extending` acrossthe pocket 48 in the rear of the pin 119.

The .latch 51 for holding the barrel 1.0 in firing position is disposedlongitudinally of the frame 1-1 at the top. and is pivotedV between itsends, as at 52, having vertical rocking movement. At the forward end,the latch 51 has a broadened latch head presenting shoulders 54 at therear of said head that engage against forwardly facing shoulders 10" onthe barrel 1() at the breech of the latter, the shank of the latchadjacent to the latch head 53, being accommodated in a notch 10 in thetop of the barrel. The rear end of the latch extends downwardlypreferably obliquely, and it closes the rear end of the chamber, thesides of which are formed by the plates 25. A spring 56 secured at itsforward end to the latch 51, rearwardly of the pivot 52, bears at itsrear end against a rearwardly facing surface on the frame 14, so thatwhen the rear end 55 of the latch is pressed downwardly and forwardly,the spring 5G will be stressed tending to restore the latch to thelatching position.

The numeral 57 indicates a tool in the form of an elongated strip havinga hooked upperl end and said tool is accommodated in a vertical slot 58in the frame adjacent to a side plate 25 at the inner side of thelatter, there being a complementary slot 59 in the adjacent stockelement 15. The tool 57 is thus made accessible for use in cleaning thefirearm or in testing any of the moving parts, such as the firing pin 24and the dog 34.

In practice, it will be seen from Fig. 1, that with the barrel structurein the normal position, the trigger 12 extends into the frame structure14 and overlaps the hammer 19, the arrangement making for compactnessand still providing a clearance for the longitudinal movement of thetrigger. Vhen the trigger is moved rearwardly, the shoulder 35 engagesthe forward end of the dog 34 and swings the hammer rearwardly until thehammer reaches a predetermined position in which the relative movementsof the hammer and trigger will cause the dog to slip from and disengagethe shoulder 85, thereby releasing the hammer, and, at the same time,the relative movements of the hammer and the operating member 28 of thefiring pin will give a turning movement to the pin for locating thefiring projection 24"L thereof in line with the cartridge to be fired.In the snapping of the hammer, the bearing relation between thespring-pressed pin 43 and the transverse pin 45 on the hammer, permitsthe hammer to be operated by the spring without undue straining on thepin 43 or the hammer. lVhen the firearm is broken, the trigger 12 swingswith the barrel structure entirely out of operative relation to thehammer, and thereby the operation of the trigger when the firearm isbroken cannot snap the hammer to strain the face plate 14C.

I would state in conclusion that while the illustrated exampleconstitutes, a practical embodiment of my inventioml do not limit myselfstrictly to the mechanical details herewith illustrated since manifestlythe same can be considerably varied without departure from the spirit ofthe invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A firearm including aframe presentbreaking of the firearm, a hammer mounted on said frame andadapted to be snapped to have impact against the back of said face platewhen the barrel is in normal position, said hammer having a firing pinadapted to be projected through the face plate for firing a cartridge inthe barrel, actuating means for said hammer and in operative relationthereto when the barrel is in normal position presenting its breech tothe face plate, and means carrying said actuating means and subject to amovement of the barrel from its position against the face plate forcarrying the actuating means out of its position for snapping the hammeragainst the face plate when the barrel moves away from the face plate.

2. A firearm including a frame, a hammer supported by the frame, abarrel, means pivotally mounting the barrel to swing to and from normalposition, and a trigger carried by the barrel and swingable therewithoutwardly away from the hammer when the barrel is swung from its normalposition.

3. A firearm including a frame, a barrel having a plurality of bores,means swingably mounting the barrel on the frame so that the firearm maybe brokem a pivoted hammer in said frame, a revoluble firing pin carriedby the hammer, means to turn said pin with the operation of the hammerto successively fire cartridges in the respective bores, and a triggerslidably mounted and movable rearwardly to actuate the hammer, saidtrigger normally extending at its rear end into said frame, and the pathof movement of the trigger overlapping the arcuate path of movement ofthe hammer.

4. A firearm including a frame, a barrel having a plurality of bores,means swingably mounting the barrel on the frame so that the barrel maybe broken, a pivoted hammer in said frame, a revoluble firing pincarried by the hammer, means to turn said pin with the loperation of thehammer to successively fire cartridges in the respective bores, andav'trigger slidably mounted and movable rearwardly to actuate thehammer, said trigger normally extending at its rear end into said frame,the path of movement of the trigger overlapping the arcuate path ofmovement of the hammer, and the said trigger being swingable with thebarrel to and from the operative position.

5. A firearm including a frame, a hammer supported by the frame, abarrel swingably mounted on the frame, and a trigger for actuating saidhammer, said trigger being Vcarried by said barrel to partake of theswinging movements thereof and being movable out of operative relationto the hammer upon movement of the barrel to any angular positionrelatively to its normal p0- sition.

G. -X firearm including a frame, a barrel swingable on the frame tooperative and inoperative positions, a hammer in the frame, a triggernormally extending at its rear end into said frame in operative relationto the hammer and means mounting said trigger and subjectI to themovements of the barrel to be swingable with the barrel to carry saidtrigger out of the frame and into inoperative relation to the hammer.

7. A firearm including a pivotally mounted hammer and a trigger, the onehaving a dog and thc other presenting a shoulder to be engaged by thedog in the operation of the trigger for actuating the hammer; tos getherwith a barrel, said trigger being slidably mounted to have rectilinealforward and backward movement approximately parallel with the bore ofthe barrel, said dog being yieldable upon a rearward movement of thetrigger to slip from the shoulder for releasing the hammer from thetrigger when the hammer has been moved through a given arc.

S. A firearm including a hammer and a trigger, the one having ayieldable dog thereon and the other presenting a shoul der to be engagedby said dog; together with a barrel, said trigger being slidably mountedto have rectilineal forward and backward movement approximately parallelwith the bore of the barrel, said trigger and hammer having relativepaths of movement to release the dog and permit firing movement of thehammer.

9. A firearm including a frame, a hammer therein, a barrel, frameelements rigid with the barrel and swingable on the frame so that thefirearm may be cbrokenf longi tudinal guides on said rigid framemembers, and a trigger slidable in said guides and adapted to swing withthe barrel outwardly, away from' the hammer out of operative relation tothe latter, and to swing with the barrel inwardly toward the hammer withthe restoring of the barrel to normal position.

10. A firearm including a frame, a hammer therein, a barrel, frameelements rigid with the barrel and swingable on the frame so that thefirearm may be brokem longitudinal guides on said rigid frame members,and a trigger slidable in said guides and adapted to swing with thebarrel into and out of operative relation to the hammer; together withspringpressed means on said rigid frame members to return the trigger tothe forward position after an operation of the hammer by the trigger.

11. A firearm including a frame, a barrel swingably mounted on theframe, a hammer pivoted at its lower end in the frame, a compressionspring obliquely disposed in the frame at its lower end, a bearingmember acted on by said spring at its forward end and pressing saidhammer, normally tending to throw it forwardly, the rearward movement ofthe hammer serving to compress said spring, a trigger, and meansswingable with the barrel and slidably mounting said trigger.

12. A firearm including a chambered frame, a hammer pivotally mounted inthe chamber of the frame, detachable plates at the sides of said chamberat the upper portion thereof, a face plate at the front of said chamber,said face plate presenting laterally projecting dove-tailed members atthe sides, and said side plates having each a dovetailed recessreceiving the dove-tailed members of the face plate, a barrel swingableon the frame to and from its normal position, and a latch pivotedbetween the sides of the chamber at the upper portion thereof andadapted to engage the barrel in the normal position.

13. A firearm including a chambered frame, a hammer mounted in thechamber of said frame and carrying the firing pin, a barrel swingablerelatively to the frame to and from normal position, and a latchpivotally mounted on said frame and adapted to latch the barrel innormal position, the rear end of said latch forming a closure for saidchamber in the rear of the firing pin.

14,-. A firearm including a chambered frame, a hammer mounted in thechamber of said frame, a barrel structure swingable on the frame to andfrom normal position, and a latch pivoted between the sides of thechamber and adapted to engage said barrel structure in its normalposit-ion, the rear end of said latch extending downwardly and forming aclosure for the adjacent portion of said chamber.

15. A firearm including a hammer, a barrel having plural bores, a firingpin carried by the hammer and revolubly mounted therein to be turnedsuccessively to positions for firing cartridges in the respective bores,means to turn said pin by a movement of the hammer, and a spring tocreate friction between the firing pin and hammer and hold the pinagainst turning movement until positively turned by said means, saidspring being coiled about the firing pin within the pin hole of thehammer.

1G. A firearm including a frame, a hammer supported by the frame, abarrel, and a trigger for actuating said hammer, said barrel beingpivoted to the frame at a point below the trigger, so that the latterswings away from the hammer with the swinging of the barrel from thenormal position.

17. A firearm including a frame, a hamhammer to be thus interposedbetween the barrel and the firing position of the hammer, a triggermovable relatively to the barrel hammer against said element when thebarrel moves away from said element.

OSCAR F. MOSSBERG.

mer pivoted in the fra-me, a barrel pivotally into operative engagementwith the hammer 10 mounted to swing relatively to the frame to when thebarrel is in normal position, and and from the normal position, saidframe means mounting said trigger and subject to presenting a fixedelement in the rear of the a movement of the barrel from its positionnormal position of the barrel and directly adjacent said fixed element,for carrying the adjacent t0 the forward position of said trigger out ofits position for snapping the 15

